The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-07
CRITICISING CONGRESS.
KNIGHTS OF LABOR ON CONGRESS
SIONAII METHODS.


out Gloves-Their Views on Various
Questions.
WASHINGTON, June 6--The Nationa
Legislative Committee of the knights Of
Labor have submitted to the General Exc
cutive Board the report of their labor:
during the short session of the Forty -nintl
Congress. 1t is long document, describing
at length the measures that had the support
of the committee during the session, and
critici2ing sharply the failure of Congress
to pass a number of the bills brought for
ward by the House Committee ON Labor
The letter carriers eight hour bill, says tn,
report, was antagonized by Mr.. Springer in
favor of a bill known as the trade dollar
bill, bill in the interest of spectators.
LETTER CARRIERS BILL GOOD ONE.
The letter carriers bill would put into the
pockets of the letter carriers, in the shape
of the reduced hours, so the Post Office De
partment claimed, 81 ,250000. The passage
of the trade dollar bill actually put into tht
pocket of the spectators $4,000, 900, every
dollar OF which was gotten from the pock
cts of the poor by the law that demonetizsc
it. That steal was ably seconded by sys
fraternity, which now, by the enactment OF
the present law, received their re
ward by getting one hundred
cents on the dollar for that
which they only paid Soc for AS to the
Oklahoma bin the Commissioner is of the
opinion that if the measure had been allowed
to come to a vote it would have had 8
majority in the House, but under the
present method of the legislation the mem
bers were deprived of the chance TO express
their preference. The report gives an ac
count of the many attempts made by Repre-
sentative Willis to get the Blair educational
bill before the House, and continues:
DENoUNCE THE METHODS.
Representative Willis introduced a reso
luton to relieve the Committee on Educa
tion from the further consideration of the
bill by privileged question to amend tbs
rules OF the House, but he was ruled out OF
order by Mr.. Springer, and in an under.
handed manner, in the opinion of this com
mittee, Mr.. Willis withdrew his motion
with the remark that he would renew
it when the regular Speaker was
in the chair. Mr.. Willis then circulated
the petition and secured 100 names, and
might have secured n great many more
but he thought that number sufficient, and
presented the same TO the Committee OF
ton TO SO amend tire rules OF the House thai
the educational bill could be considered
The Committee on Rules ignored this peti
ton. 1t is the opinion of the friends
of the measure that the committee on edu
cation was packed against the bill by the
speaker when he appointed the committee
which opinion is shared by your committee
because Of his actions later on, in refusing
to consider the question in the committee OF
rules, when SO requested by 120 members oi
the House by petition"
ANOTHER GREAT QUESTION TOUCHED.
The interstate commerce law next receive.
the attention of the committee, and of il
they say:
For the past ten years there has been in.
troduced into Congress by Representative
Reagan, of Texas, bill entitled, bill tc
regulate the Interstate commerce, and il
became evident to the railroad managers OF
the country that from the growing de
mands Of the people, the time had arrived
when such a measure had to be passed
Realizing this, the railroad interests of the
country set about to circumvent the Reagan
bill, which was a simple, plain law, that
was easy of Interpretation, and was positive
in its provisions to protect the interest OF
the people as against the growing power OF
the corporations of the country. They had
IIuOOutSu llJO tilt OclidlS bUe Dlll Known
as the Cullom bill, a bill that contained
twenty-five sections, and every one of them
admitting Of doubtful construction, SC
much so that no one in the Senate or the
House was able to interpret it-not even its
godfather, Senator Cullon, who, when
asked to explain it on the floor OF the Sen.
ate, tacitly admitted his inability to do so.
ASKED FOR VETO ON IT.
This committee, in accordance with the
fifth plank of our declaration of principles.
supported the one with the least legal tech
nicalities, and went so far as to ask the
President on the behalf of those whom they
represented TO veto the bill which had been
passed. The committee, up to this date has
not seen any arguments on the part of their
critics that have caused them in any way TO
recede from the position they assumed on
the question; but on the contrary the evil
dence is daily coming to the front of the
doubtful Interpretation of the law.
THE COMMITTEES SATISFACTION.
Every day strengthens the opinion of this
committee that the day is not far distant
when the praise Of their constituents and
the people at large will be bestowed upon
them for the course they pursued in the
matter, and the committee feel confident
that the near future will bring them their
reward that they are entitled TO, viz, the
acknowledgement that they acted conscien-
tiously in the course they pursued"
If THEY WERE ONLY CoNGREssMEN.
The report comments severely upon the
failure of Congress to pass some Of the i'm
portant land forfeiture bills and says some
very crooked work was done by the land
attorneys and shystering lawyers in connec-
ton with the forfeiture of some of the
grants, and that In many cases the settlers
have been duped and defrauded by these
mon, who have been posing as their
friends, and in several instances, have sue
ceeded in getting several thousand dollars
in notes from the people located on the
lands. The report says that these attorneys
are without influence in the way of secir-
ing legislation, and hopes that this state
ment may be the means of saving some of
the settlers from being galled In the future.
THE COMMITTEE GET SARCASTIC.
GAS early as the first of February we were
informed that IN order TO secure any action
ON several measures that tho committee were
interested in. and which had been boycotted
by the Committee ON Rules OF the House,
we must secure the consent of that commit
tee. The special clIstodians Of this sacred
burial place were John G.. Carlisle,
the Speaker Of the House; William r..
Morrison, and Samuel J. Randall. on the
part of the dominant party, and Thomas B..
Reed and Frank Hiscock, acting for the
minority party. The former three were
the masters when IL came 10 a party queS-
tion. We sought, by written request, an
interview with one Of the members of the
Randall party.
THE COMMITTEE GET RrLED.
In this effort we were successful, but came